According to a new Gallup poll, 42 per cent of Americans believe God created human beings around 10,000 years ago, writes Tech Times.

That percentage of Americans who believe this peaked at 47 percent at the end of 1999.

In 2011, 40 per cent of Americans believed in the traditional biblical story of creation, writes Tech Times.

A total of 31 percent of respondents stated their belief that humans evolved from lower animals - guided by a 'supreme being'.

This was the lowest number recorded in the last 32 years, peaking at 40 per cent recorded 15 years ago, writes Tech Times.

According to the poll, just 19 per cent of Americans subscribe to the theory of evolution.

In 1982, only nine percent of respondents stated their belief in evolution without divine guidance.

The number of people who believe in the theory of evolution without divine guidance has grown steadily over the 30 years.

Opinions were divided between churchgoers and those who do not regularly attend service, writes Tech Times.

Just one per cent of respondents who attend church services every week believed in a strictly scientific viewpoint.

"The percentage of Americans who accept the creationist viewpoint ranges from 69% among those who attend religious services weekly to 23% among those who seldom or never attend," Gallup researchers wrote.

Education also lead to divisive opinions, writes Tech Times.

Respondents with a high school diploma or less were more likely to adhere to creationism - polling at 57 per cent.

Among college graduates, the poll noted that just 27 percent believed in creationism.

Researchers noted that older people were more likely to select creationism compared with young people, writes Tech Times.

The survey found 30 per cent of people aged 18 to 29 believed in the theory of evolution.

Creationist views are held by 28 out of every 100 young people, states the report.

While evolution guided by a supreme intelligence was a notion supported by 35 per cent of young adults.

"Significantly fewer Americans claim familiarity with creationism than did so seven years ago. In 2007, 86% were familiar, including 50% who were very familiar. Now, 76% are familiar, with just 38% very familiar. In short, even though the adherence to the creationist view has not changed over time, familiarity with the term creationism has diminished," the researchers reported on their website.

The survey involved 1,028 adults nationwide and was conducted between 8 and 11, May 2014.